Update: “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” Camp

As we explained when we arrived in Mali last July, getting projects off the ground takes a lot of time, volunteers need to get to know their village, make connections, assess needs, get to a point in their language where they can function relatively well, and get the timing right so that villagers have the time to work with them (aka not farming season). However, when people do have time for you, a lot ends up happening at once! Therefore, near the end of May, James and I were busy with another project finally coming to fruition: A 3 day  “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” girls empowerment camp.

In Mali, girls have to overcome a series of challenges if they want to succeed in becoming literate or having a career or their own. Many families refuse to enroll their girls in school at all since they are needed around the house. Once in school, they often fall behind as they don’t raise their hands or speak in class. Finally, its very common to be given in an arranged marriage around the age of 14 or 15. Once married, the girl will likely become pregnant quickly and will have a hard time convincing her husband to let her continue her education.  Joye is technically an Education volunteer and since Peace Corps encourages projects that focus on promoting girls education, she and the 10 other volunteers within our region were able to obtain funds to hold a camp which gathered 22 6^th and 7^th grade girls in a large city to expose them to opportunities for females in the workplace.

 

The camp was led by 11 current PCVs who acted as chaperons, daily planners, speakers, and mentors for the girls. Each day was planned with activities meant to expose the girls to new career ideas and introduce them to successful working women. On Day 1, we took a tour of a large hospital and talked to many nurses and midwives about the steps they took to start a medical career. Activities on hand-washing, germs, and nutrition were also incorporated with icebreakers to encourage the girls to open up to each other and the volunteers. On Day 2, the girls visited the Mayor and Prefect’s offices, where representatives spoke about the importance of women’s education and empowerment. They also toured the artisan center and the technical school and were given the opportunity to engage with members of both to discuss what they could do to overcome obstacles that prevented women from continuing their studies or having a successful career. Throughout the camp, activities were incorporated as the girls talked about role models and set goals for their future career plans.  One encouraging moment was the goal setting activity. For many of the girls, this was the first time someone had asked them what THEY wanted to do with their life and we spent over 30 minutes just trying to explain the assignment to write a paragraph about “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”. However, as the girls started brainstorming, and one by one presented their dreams to the group followed by loud applause, they started getting extremely excited for each other and it was great to see the positive influence from their peers

 

Based on these discussions, the volunteers assigned the girls job shadowing placements which fit their aspirations. On Day 3, pairs of girls spent the day shadowing female mentors at places such as the bank, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, a library, a microfinance institution, restaurants, food transformation centers and various artisans throughout Koutiala.  The girls especially loved this day they spent with their mentors doing hands on activities and really seeing what the day to day tasks are in a field that interested them. Finally, the camp ended with a celebratory “fete” where we invited the mentors and participants to a night of dinner, music, and a slideshow. Notably, the Mayor also came to the party in order to thank Peace Corps for their hard work and speak to the girls about continuing their education.

Though it had its hiccups and frustrations while planning the logistics, the event itself was a success. For many of the girls, this was their first time in Koutiala (or for some, their 1st time outside their village) and throughout the 3 day camp, the changes in the girls behavior, confidence, and energy were signs that the event was accomplishing its goals. During the first day, many of the girls were extremely quiet and shy, afraid to express themselves in front of the volunteers or their peers. However, the icebreaker games and self-esteem activities such as public speaking practice and dance choreography broke the tension and the girls started opening up to each other and the volunteers. By the end of the camp, it seemed like a completely different group of girls. On the last night, the girls were up late chatting, giggling, and exchanging contact information and will hopefully keep in touch as they continue their education.

 

Once we got back to village, the girls gave presentations to their classes about their camp. Jim proudly listened as one of the girls he brought from a neighboring village told her class, “People say that girls can’t build houses or become technicians, but we went and we saw girls that do those jobs! The women there told us to work hard and be courageous and we could do whatever job we wanted.”  So yes, these girls will still have a lot of challenges ahead of them if they wish to continue past middle school, but hopefully the camp succeeded in opening their eyes to the possibilities for their future and encouraging them that with hard work and perseverance, they can achieve something remarkable.